Sometimes the criminals make the best heroes. They don't have reservations on certain things such as "morals" and they have no qualms with going around the proper channels to accomplish their goals. But since they also have skills that have gone around [[TaughtByExperience the more natural education system]], they are brought in as specialists.

There is practically a built-in subtrope here specifically where hackers are brought in to do some uber-hacking for the good guys.

Compare the subtrope BoxedCrook, when they are offered immediate freedom upon succeeding at a SuicideMission. Compare also TradingBarsForStripes, where freedom is offered after going through a tour of military duty. Although in that case it is more because they are "expendable" than just because of their skills. Also ToCatchHeroesHireVillains, CondemnedContestant, ConsultingAConvictedKiller.

Contrast ReformedCriminal, when the character serves the law because of a genuine HeelFaceTurn. One inversion is FromCamouflageToCriminal, where a member of the military turns to a life of crime after leaving the service.

Sometimes overlaps with the TokenEvilTeammate, depending on how self-serving they actually are.

----!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime]]* ''Manga/DeathNote'' has L hire a con man and a cat burglar during the Yotsuba Group arc. It is stated that he works with them on a regular basis.** Light thinks of his recruitment and use of Misa, Takada, and Mikami as this.* The manga version of ''{{Manga/Berserk}}'' has the King of Midland, after his regular men and the Bakiraka fail to kill Griffith and the Band of the Hawk following Griffith's rescue, calls upon the Black Dog Knights, made up of the worst murderers, rapists and all around scum that Midland has to offer and led by Wyald, a nasty piece of work of an Apostle, as his last bid for revenge against Griffith.* Hiei and Kurama of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' were partially pardoned of their crimes in exchange for their services in assisting Yusuke with the Four Saint Beasts. Kurama at the least was never dedicated to the criminal lifestyle, only using it for [[AntiVillain sympathetic reasons]]. Hiei was the TokenEvilTeammate for a few {{story arc}}s until a more genuine HeelFaceTurn. But even well into the series, when the team began to discuss what they planned to do now that a particularly powerful enemy was defeated, Hiei responded, "Various crimes."* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' has an example of this trope in the final episode of the first season. Motoko and Aramaki try, albeit unsuccessfully, to recruit the infamous Laughing Man. In a variation, the only real crime in the entire series he actually committed was trying to expose a criminal conspiracy at gunpoint, and all the other crimes by the Laughing Man were copycats.* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', the World Government has the Shichibukai (''Shichibukai'' in Japanese), seven ''extremely'' powerful pirates who act as privateers. The Shichibukai are pardoned for their crimes and in return give an annual piece of their plunder. It's not a perfect system, however -- more than one Shichibukai has used their position to back even ''more'' illegal schemes, some are shown to ''hate'' the very institution they serve, and even the so-called 'loyal' Shichibukai have their own agendas (barring Mihawk, who's implied to have joined because he was bored and makes it clear that he can ditch them whenever he wants). However, since their job is to act as a deterrent to prevent more piracy rather than to serve the public at large, the World Government doesn't particularly care, and at points even goes at great lengths to protect them and their reputation. Because of these flaws, several of the [[TokenGoodTeammate more benevolent World Government officials]] would prefer for the Shichibukai system to be abolished. Ironically, many of those same Marine officers who oppose the Shichibukai system have [[EnemyMine worked together with]] and even become [[FriendlyEnemy almost friends]] with individual pirates outside the system.* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Zaraki considers himself and [[spoiler:Yachiru Unohana]] to be examples of this. He claims the only reason Soul Society hasn't executed them already is because of their combat prowess. [[spoiler:Unohana]] agrees.** Kisuke Urahara's backstory shows that he recruited Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who was at that point locked up in solitary confinement, as his personal research assistant, with the clincher being that [[KlingonPromotion were he to die, Mayuri would become Captain]].* In ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', the title characters are criminals themed around the SevenDeadlySins but are knights that are being regrouped to free a kingdom oppressed by some rather nasty {{Knight Templar}}s.* In ''Anime/PsychoPass'', many members of the MWPSB are Enforcers, so-called "latent criminals" who haven't physically committed a crime yet, but are judged by the [[BigBrotherIsWatching Sibyl System]] to have a mental state that is conducive to crime. Because they're able to more clearly understand the criminal mind, Enforcers are usually the ones who do the real detective work, while their [[PoliceAreUseless Inspector]] partners act mostly as a leash to keep them under control.* In the ''Manga/LupinIII'' manga, Lupin was hired by the Japanese government to rescue a captured spy and recover the intel said spy was after in return for amnesty for all his crimes up to that point. Here, the reason was simply that Lupin's ImpossibleThief talents made him the perfect man for the job; if anyone could covertly steal a prisoner and information from under the nose of somebody who'd already caught a spy and was thus on alert, it would be him.* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'':** In the prequel, ''A Choice With No Regrets'', rumors that Levi joined the military under such circumstances are confirmed. A criminal that used stolen [[BuildingSwing 3D Maneuver Gear]] to commit crimes, his skill caught the attention of Erwin and resulted in Levi's gang being hunted down. After being given AnOfferYouCantRefuse, Levi was recruited directly into the Survey Corps and would eventually become Erwin's NumberTwo and humanity's strongest soldier. ** Kenny [[spoiler:Ackerman, Levi's uncle,]] gained a reputation as a SerialKiller [[spoiler:due to his efforts to protect his relatives from the SecretPolice hunting them down.]] When he tried to assassinate the king, he was swiftly defeated. Rather than kill him, the king instead made Kenny the leader of the very same SecretPolice who had hunted him. He and Kenny also became friends and confidants.* Ryo Saeba of ''Manga/CityHunter'' is a criminal by his own admission as he's a HitmanWithAHeart, but once in a while he does works for the police officer Saeko... Who regularly cheats him on the pay.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]* This strategy backfires in ''Seven Psychopaths'', where the group of RagtagBunchOfMisfits recruited to assassinate Hitler includes a narcissistic con artist and MasterOfDisguise who joins for the promise of glory. Nobody foresaw the risk in putting an amoral GloryHound who can impersonate anybody in a situation where the position of "most important man in Germany" has suddenly been rendered vacant.* SpiderMan employed the use of the villain Sandman a few times in order to catch up to his old teammates in the Sinister Six. This eventually led to a HeelFaceTurn but he eventually returned to a life of crime. This setback didn't stop Spidey from once again asking for his help in tracking down an alternate reality version of his Uncle Ben who was linked to a crime (long story).** Spidey also asked Comicbook/{{Venom}} for help almost every time he had to face Carnage since they both had related alien symbiotes.* In the ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' story "The Cursed Earth", Dredd needs to recruit a second biker to deliver a pack of vaccines to Mega-City Two. Though plenty of Judges are willing, Dredd recruits convicted criminal and mutant Spikes Harvey Rotten, who is the best biker in the Big Meg and knows the Cursed Earth very well.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]* Mercury from the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' fanfic series "A dance of Shadow and Light" by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3779251/Ocadioan Ocadioan]] has become known for doing this on multiple occasions throughout the series. As of [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9998018/1/Phoenix-fire Phoenix-fire]], he even goes as far as to recruit [[ReliableTraitor people that he knows are out to kill or usurp him]], because they are particular efficient at what they do.* [[Anime/{{Naruto}} Yuugao]] in ''[[http://ficwad.com/story/234784 Eroninja]]'' recruits Fuuka's help in figuring out a serial killer due to the latter's several decades of experience as a serial killer in order to prolong her lifespan. Fuuka manages to figure out both the order of the killings and why they were killed in said order (namely the killer was seducing her targets and was building up confidence in her looks/abilities).* In the beginning of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rango}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/OldWest'', Sheriff Rango hires the outlaw Rattlesnake Jake to protect the town of Mud against mercenaries that have been attacking for unknown reasons.** Later Jake enlists another infamous outlaw known as "the Scarlet Kiss" to track down the hiding place of the mercenaries while he's stuck on the protection duty.* In ''FanFic/{{Webwork}}'', Hak Foo ends up recruited to serve as the muscle of [[AntiMagicalFaction Section 0]], and goes along with it only because his constant defeats at the hands of the J-Team have ruined his mercenary career, and this is the only work he can get.* In ''Fanfic/TheUndesirables'', one of the people recruited by Princess Luna for her team is Therapsid, a Changeling who partook in espionage in Canterlot prior to the Wedding invasion, who was then captured in the aftermath and has been imprisoned ever since. He's given his freedom, and a chance to show up his people for abandoning him, in exchange for joining the team.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]* ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'': to catch the dangerous genetic experiment, the Intergalactic Alliance sends the MadScientist who created him, since he's the only one who knows how to defeat him.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]* Inverted in ''Film/BlueStreak'', in which diamond thief Miles Logan accidentally gets hired as a cop while trying to retrieve a diamond he hid in the police headquarters. This proceeds a lot like other movies with the same theme, however, as he very effectively teaches his new colleagues (from personal experience) how to think like criminals in order to catch criminals.** Interestingly, he seems to have expertise in completely different types of crime from his own. It's hard to believe that a professional jewel thief and safecracker would know so much about drug smuggling.* Pretty much the entirety of ''Film/TheLongestYard'' is the prison warden demanding an inmates vs. prison guards football game and Burt Reynolds's character being forced to recruit the various criminals with no promise of any reward but a chance to beat up the guards, humiliate the guards, or both.* A classic example in ''Film/TheDirtyDozen''.* Sean Connery in ''Film/TheRock''* Hugo Stiglitz of the ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''.* Han Solo of ''Film/StarWars'' is another classic example. Fast transport and don't want any Imperial problems, hire a ship captain who specializes in smuggling.* ''Film/TheBadNewsBears'': Creator/JackieEarleHaley as local tough guy and best all-around athlete who gets recruited to be on the team.* Pretty much everyone in Martin Bishop's team in ''Film/{{Sneakers}}'' has had a run-in with the law (or at least a higher authority) at one point or another. For example:** Whistler is supposed to be one of the best phone phreaks in America (side note: Whistler is also a Shout Out to the phone phreaks John "Captain Crunch" Draper and Josef "Joybubbles" Engressia).** Donald Crease got kicked out of the CIA because he couldn't control his temper.* As with ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' listed below, so with ''Film/{{Serenity}}''.* ''Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries'':** In ''Film/MissionImpossible'' Ethan Hunt recruits two disavowed agents to help pull off the Langley heist. [[spoiler:One of them later turns out to be working with the bad guy.]]** In ''Film/MissionImpossibleII'', this is subverted. Ethan ''thinks'' he's recruiting the master thief in order to steal something, until his MissionControl reveals they only wanted her because she previously had a relationship with the BigBad, and they want to exploit that to get a person inside for recon.* In ''Film/CatchMeIfYouCan'', Hanratty recruits the imprisoned check forger ''extraordinaire'' Frank Abagnale to apprehend check forgers.* John Spartan from ''Film/DemolitionMan'' is recruited in 2032 to catch the psychopath Simon Phoenix after Phoenix's escape from the cryogenic prison in which he had been incarcerated since 1996. Spartan is actually the cop who caught Phoenix in 1996, but is legally considered a criminal, having been put in the "fridge" at the same time after being wrongly convicted of sacrificing innocent lives in his apprehension of Phoenix, and to the timid bureaucrats of 2032 he is as much an animal as Phoenix.* In ''Film/FortyEightHours'' and its sequel, tough cop Jack recruits loudmouthed criminal Reggie because of Reggie's connection to the case.* ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'': [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture In the year 1997]], Manhattan is a giant, walled off prison with no guards. When the President is unlucky enough to get stuck there after Airforce One is shot down, condemned criminal Snake Plissken is offered his freedom in exchange for rescuing him.* In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', Thor is forced go to his brother Loki, who has been imprisoned after ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', for help, as he is the only one who knows how to escape Asgard without the Bifrost.* In ''Film/AntMan'', ReformedCriminal Scott Lang is chosen by Hank Pym to take up his role as the titular hero, and combined the super suit's shrinking powers with his thieving skills in order to steal back Pym's stolen research. Hilariously lampshaded by this exchange:-->'''Scott''': My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are over. What do you want me to do? -->'''Hank''': I want you to break into a place and steal some shit.* ''Film/SuicideSquad'' is of the BoxedCrook variety, jailed supervillains put on dangerous black-ops missions by shady government official Amanda Waller. In the movie the TokenGoodTeammate Rick Flag insists they can't do anything a well trained special forces team can't do, but Waller brings up a RealLife example that during WWII the Navy enlisted aid from TheMafia to protect strategically valuable docks.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* In the last of the ''[[Literature/TortallUniverse Song of the Lioness]]'' books by Creator/TamoraPierce, King Jonathon hires [[GentlemanThief King of Thieves]] George Cooper as the spymaster of Tortall.* Mundungus Fletcher from ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is a known thief, but his ties to the underworld are valuable to the Order.** Though he just seems to be a smelly, drunk [[OnlyFoolsAndHorses Del Boy]].** At least one fanfic features [[UnskilledButStrong Harry]], in need of training to beat [[EvilSorcerer Voldemort]] and unable to get any from [[RonTheDeathEater Dumbledore]], going to [[TheAlcatraz Nurmengard]] to seek help from the prior Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald.* In the ''Literature/JudgeDee'' stories, Tao Gan is a master crook, dice cheater, pickpocket and lockpicker. He is recruited by the judge for his many talents, after he saves him from an angry mob.* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''** Harry Dresden has done this a couple of times with Gentleman Johnny Marcone, most notably in ''Literature/WhiteNight.''** [[KnightTemplar Morgan]] views Harry being made a Warden as this trope, although of course Harry is actually a HeroWithBadPublicity.* In ''Literature/KikiStrike'', Kiki hires delinquent Girl Scouts.* This is basically how the Special Corps operates in ''Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat'': they recruit non-homicidal criminals to catch the more dangerous ones.** The guy in charge of the Special Corps is himself one of the most infamous thieves in the galaxy. He is the one who manages to trap Jim before offering him the job.* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', Lord Vetinari recruits ConMan Moist Von Lipwig to reform [[Discworld/GoingPostal the postal office]]... [[Discworld/MakingMoney and the banking system]]-->'''Von Lipwig:''' I've robbed banks!-->'''Vetinari:''' Capital! Just reverse your thinking. The money should be on the ''inside''.** Before that, Vetinari did this on a grand scale with the Thieves' Guild. Some form of thieves' guild had already existed in Ankh-Morpork, but Vetinari made them responsible for theft in the city, with a professional structure and quotas on thieving. They also have to, and quite take pride in, reducing ''un''official theft in the city. Turns out they're much better at reducing crime than [[PoliceAreUseless the Watch]] ever were, because all they have to do is work less.*** It does help too that they have no rules about how they treat unlicensed thieves, unlike the watch.* Inverted in ''The Polish Officer'' by Alan Furst. A new agent for LaResistance in WorldWarII asks a former detective for advice on how to be a fugitive.* Mulch Diggums from Literature/ArtemisFowl.** Not to mention Artemis himself - he was a VillainProtagonist in the first book, after all.* In a Bill Pronzini short-short story, a recently released car thief gets the jones and tries to steal a fancy car, only to be found out by the owner. Fortunately for him, said owner is in the repossession business, and now the thief gets to satisfy his craving to steal cars in a perfectly legal fashion.* Minor example: in the first ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novel, Honor needs some people to do customs work, but doesn't have anyone with the necessary professional background. So she requests that the bosun find her some people with, ah, ''personal'' familiarity with the smuggling process instead. (One of whom becomes a series mainstay and, among other things, uses his sneakiness and computer hacking prowess to pull off a truly phenomenal rescue later on. So good move there.)* Literature/TimeScout's Kit Carson doesn't quite say "Set a thief to catch a thief", but he comes pretty darn close.* This happens twice in the ''Literature/ShadowOfTheTemplar'' series: in the first book, GentlemanThief Jeremy Archer offers to help the FBI stop his former employer when said former employer turns out to be a terrorist; in the second book, the "set a thief to catch a thief" maxim is played ''completely'' straight when the FBI calls him up for help in catching a thief with an identical M.O. and a murderous streak.* In Creator/VernorVinge's novella ''Literature/TrueNames'', the Feds would ''love'' to bust the protagonist, Mr. Slippery, now that they've uncovered his real identity, but unfortunately, they ''need'' him to help catch the even more dangerous and elusive hacker known as The Mailman.* In ''Literature/ChronoHustle'', the TRD hire con-artist Jack Masterson, in order to help them catch con-artist Jack Masterson... time travel was involved.* In ''Literature/WhenDemonsWalk'', the protagonist, a thief and burglar, is employed to spy on the aristocrats in order to catch a murderer. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]* Garak on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' was recruited by Sisko for help in planting evidence to convince the Romulans that the Dominion have intentions of invading Romulan territory.** In another episode Quark is recruited to help hack into a secured database.* [[TheHero Nate]] in ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' is the only team member who doesn't have some sort of criminal background.** Similarly, Season 3 sees the team blackmailed by an INTERPOL detective to pull off a heist on a banker for criminals.* Michael from ''Series/BurnNotice'' occasionally employs the services of the money launderer Barry and the gun runner Seymour for various jobs. Michael himself is a fired CIA agent, and so without the backing of the CIA most of his history looks criminal in nature. Because no legitimate government employee wants anything to do with him, he has to rely on the "lesser evil" criminals for help.* Parodied in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' where George hired the best freelance electrician around to wire a battery to a Frogger arcade machine he bought so he could keep his high score. The electrician was disappointed that it wasn't a heist, though George said if he wanted to he could steal the necessary tools.* The TV series ''Series/FastLane'' had a crook named Aquarius the boys used from time to time to "procure" certain "items;" for example, a truckful of blank US gov't paper upon which they'll counterfeit $100 bills. [[DaChief Candy Store]] leader Billie tried to recruit a criminal to play undercover cop before the series started, but the criminal she chose for the gig turned out to be a backstabbing MagnificentBastard that tried to kill her and ran away when he couldn't, leading to her decision to recruit {{Cowboy Cop}}s. * Jayne from ''Series/{{Firefly}}''. Mal actually recruits him while Jayne and two others are attempting to rob him and Zoe. Granted, technically the whole crew is pretty much composed of criminals, since they're smugglers, but Jayne is of the dirtier outlaw type.** On a broader note, the whole crew are criminals when necessary, though they range from [[GenkiGirl happy go lucky wouldn't hurt a fly Kaylee]] to [[BoisterousBruiser gun-loving hard-living hired muscle Jayne]]. When Simon and Book sign up for passage on the good ship Serenity, they're unknowingly invoking the trope.* ''Series/{{House}}'': Dr. House recruited Dr. Foreman because he had a criminal record for burglary from when he was a poor black teenager, which piqued his interests. House also needed a guy to break into patients' homes to check for drugs and such, since House does not trust patients to be honest about such things.* The USANetwork show ''Series/WhiteCollar'' is a story almost exactly like that of ''Film/CatchMeIfYouCan'', a criminal being recruited by the FBI. The show's tagline is "To solve the hardest crimes, hire the smartest criminal."* The RealityShow ''Series/ItTakesAThief2005'' is about how to properly prepare for a possible break-in. Then they break in (both hosts are former burglars) and have the homeowners watch the tactics.** And there's the original show called ''Series/ItTakesAThief1968'' (the one starring Robert Wagner), which has pretty much the same premise as ''Series/WhiteCollar''.* In ''Series/CriminalMinds'', Garcia got a job at the FBI because she was busted hacking into one the FBI's databases. Her choice was to go to jail or use her skills for the FBI.* Guerrero from ''Series/HumanTarget'' is an assassin hired to help protect people. The hero of the story also used to be in the business of killing people.* ''Series/BreakoutKings'' is about a team of criminals hired to catch prison escapees.* Multiple examples from the cops on ''Series/TheWire'', the most prominent being their use of snitches like Bubbles, a homeless junkie. Another plotline involves them cutting a deal with Omar, one of the most dangerous criminals in Baltimore, to get him to [[spoiler: testify against the Barksdale hitman, Bird]].* When assembling a team of treasure-hunters as the ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'', Andrew Hartford included the thief Will Aston for his skills. Given the franchise's [[BlackAndWhiteMorality usual approach to morality]], I think we're supposed to assume he's a ReformedCriminal, but it was never specified. (During a TenMinuteRetirement he was shown doing a legit job testing a place's security.)** Two years earlier, a similar thing happened in Series/PowerRangersSPD. Sky, Bridge and Syd are sent out to apprehend two criminals, named Z and Jack, who are stealing items to give to the poor. The two end up in jail and are given a choice. Be Power Rangers or rot in jail. Z readily accepted and Jack reluctantly followed later. In fact, Jack was given the red ranger powers, to the annoyance of Sky.* In ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', Toshiko Sato was facing life in prison without parole for stealing alien technology from the government. Then Captain Jack Harkness, impressed with her engineering skill, shows up and offers her a job. Of course, Jack himself can be considered this, as he doesn't exactly have a spotless record (what with being a conman from the future and all).* ''Series/{{Alphas}}'' has Cameron Hicks, an ex-[[SemperFi Marine]] mind-controlled to assassinate someone in the pilot. At the end of the episode, Dr. Rosen offers him a position on his team of people with superhuman abilities, subtly hinting that he may go to jail for murder if he doesn't (good luck using the "mind control" defense in court).* Subverted in ''Series/TheInvisibleMan''. Darien is recruited by the Agency not for his skills as as thief but because of the "[[AppliedPhlebotinum quicksilver]]" gland in his head that allows him to become invisible. He is kept in check by the fact that only the Agency can produce the "counteragent" necessary to keep him from going insane. That doesn't mean that his criminal skills don't come in handy, though.* Any time in ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' when Sylar helps out the good guys is this trope.* ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'' had an arc that featured Michael Ironside as a BigBad. The Rangers recruited a young female hacker named Buzz to help bring him down. She ended up having the remainder of her sentence commuted.* ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'': In the first episode, Skye is caught hacking into SHIELD's computer network. Coulson decides to recruit her for his team.** It is later invoked when Hunter and Bobbie infiltrate the ATCU by pretending to be part of an FBI anti cyber crime unit. Hunter pretends to be a master hacker working for the FBI to avoid a lengthy prison sentence and Bobbie is his no-nonsense FBI handler. * ''Series/DoctorWho''** A common format for Fourth Doctor stories was for the Time Lords to force him to do their dirty work, as they have an AlienNonInterferenceClause that he (being a thief, an outlaw and a natural-born meddler) constantly ignores. A notable serial with this format is "Genesis of the Daleks", in which they try to force him to commit pre-emptive genocide against the Daleks on their behalf. This pattern had started in the Third Doctor days, when he was otherwise on earthbound house arrest.** In "The Five Doctors", the Time Lords recruit the Master to save the Doctor, who is trapped in the Death Zone on Gallifrey.* In his first appearance on ''Series/MurderSheWrote'', Dennis Stanton is a GentlemanThief with a grudge against a specific insurance firm. In his later appearances he's an insurance investigator himself. * The team in ''Series/CSICyber'' includes captured former "black hat" hackers who agreed to work for the FBI to stay out of jail. * ''Series/FrontierCircus'': At the end of "Mighty Like Rogues", Casey hires Mrs Jukes to use her criminal skills to protect the circus from other thieves.* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': This is technically what happens with [[TokenEvilTeammate Root]], although it's [[BigBrotherIsWatching the Machine]] that does the actual recruiting. The team doesn't want anything to do with her aside from a brief use of her as a GodzillaThreshold until it becomes clear that the Machine is utilizing her as one of its agents partially due her [[MachineWorship devotion to it]] and partially because she's so damn useful.* In ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' Savant, the hacker who cracked into the precinct's network, is eventually given a job as the precinct's IT and computer security specialist. Although it is played with a bit, in that when Gina recommends him for the job she offers reasons beyond his criminality, Sgt. Jeffords is skeptical it's a good idea and makes a point of informing Savant in no uncertain terms that if he does anything to abuse his newfound access or harm the precinct, his fate will not be a pleasant one:-->'''Jeffords:''' ''[Holding a magic 8-ball]'' Savant, you're part of the 9-9 now. We look after each other. ''[To the 8-ball]'' Hey, ball. If Savant was to do ''anything'' to harm this precinct, would I '''''destroy him'''''?!\\''[Jeffords crushes the 8-ball with one hand; Savant gapes in terror. Jeffords looks at the remains of the 8-ball.]''\\'''Jeffords:''' [[BondOneLiner Answer uncertain. Try again.]] * In the ''Series/MurdochMysteries'' episode "The Murdoch Sting", Murdoch recruits (or is recruited by) HistoricalDomainCharacter Cassie Chadwick, keen to find the woman who's stealing her con.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]* The standard Thief in a traditional ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' adventure party. Turns out the guy skilled in picking locks and pickpocketing tends to do that for a living, who knew?* In the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer40000}} grim darkness of the far future]], the ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' series tells us that the "rogue" archetype is now called "Scum". While the game book states that such characters don't ''have'' to have been criminals, merely growing up as the downtrodden in the CrapsackWorld that is the 41st millennium, your non-mission monthly income explicitly comes from swindling, pickpocketing, being a card shark...* Criminals are sometimes sentenced to enter ''TabletopGame/{{The Splinter}}'' as punishment. If they survive long enough, they can become super stars.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* You recruit a lot of these in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''. In order to stop the threat of the [[SapientShip Rea]][[EldritchAbomination pers]], Shepard is forced to join with a terrorist organization, Cerberus, and therefore has a few people classified as terrorists under his/her command. Over the course of the game s/he recruits a psychopathic murderer, a (DLC) ClassyCatBurglar, a (DLC) mercenary, [[spoiler:a geth in a universe where AI is illegal]], and possibly [[spoiler:a serial killer-- though she's optional, and probably not the best choice, since she replaces a more reliable party member]]. In addition there are [[TheBerserker berserkers]], [[HitmanWithAHeart assassins]], ThePunisher of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' universe, and {{Cowboy Cop}}s among others.** In the Citadel DLC of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', it's shown in a historical archive that the first Spectre was a CowboyCop who was imprisoned for using 30 civilians as bait to flush out a criminal.* In another Creator/BioWare epic, ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', you recruit Sten (who has been locked up to die of starvation for slaughtering a family of farmers after freaking out over the loss of his sword), Zevran (an assassin sent after you--just the most recent contract in implied long chain of murders), Oghren (who's a drunken lout and was about to be kicked out of Orzammar anyways) a number of apostates (rogue mages) and even possibly [[spoiler: Loghain Mac Tir, the one responsible for King Cailan's death at the start of the game by leaving him to die at Ostagar]]. As a Grey Warden, you have a right to recruit anyone you wish without regard for local laws. A number of Grey Wardens (including Duncan himself, who was a pickpocket in Orlais) were recruited straight from jail.** Depending on the origin, even the Warden can fall into this category. The Dwarf Noble is either tricked into/framed for the murder of their elder brother, the Dwarf Commoner was caught impersonating a Noble in a [[DuelToTheDeath Proving]], the City Elf murdered half of a castle during a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against an Arl's son for raping their cousin, and the Mage Origin is caught helping a fellow Mage try to flee the Circle. All are rescued from a grisly fate by Duncan's intervention, and when you play as other origins it's possible to find signs of what would have happened to you [[ForWantOfANail had Duncan not been there]], such as finding your alternate self dead in a dungeon cell in Orzammar.* In a [[RuleOfThree third Bioware example]], during the Sith Warrior prologue of ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', you deal with an assassin who killed a high-ranking operative in the Empire. The jailer, and quite a few other Sith, think that she was hired by the Republic, but she reveals herself as a freelancer who works for the highest bidder. The Light Side option is to recruit her into Imperial Intelligence. Your trainer, Overseer Tremel, commends you on the decision, telling you that [[PragmaticVillainy you should never let an opportunity to recruit a powerful ally slip through your fingers]].** This actually happens two more times to make another RuleOfThree - both conveniently on the Imperial side. The Imperial Agent's first companion, Kaliyo, is a wanted criminal and known anarchist who figures out that you're not the Red Blade. Keeper offers her a small fortune to keep her quiet and help you out. ** And [[RuleOfThree finally]], the Bounty Hunter's companion, Gault. He is one of their targets for the Great Hunt of Act I. He gives you a duplicate body to turn in for the bounty and offers to accompany you in exchange for his life. [[ButThouMust Regardless of your feelings on the matter, you have to recruit him]]. Somewhat subverted with Skadge, who simply forces his way into your crew whether you like it or not.** The Republic Trooper ends up recruiting Tanno Vik, a former Republic soldier turned freelance mercenary to become the team's resident DemolitionsExpert. It's stated that despite being dishonorably discharged, his talents as a demoman are such that he's worth recruiting into Havok Squad.* The ''Franchise/SlyCooper'' games will invariably have [[InterpolSpecialAgent Interpol Inspector]] Carmelita Fox enlist the aid of the titular protagonist (a thief who only targets other criminals) to take down the BigBad at the climax of the game. Also occasionally inverted in that Sly and his gang will manipulate her into unwittingly helping them out now and then.* The indie game ''VideoGame/PrimalCarnage'' has the Trapper (A.K.A. Jackson Stone). He is wanted around the world for "uncountable offences". Basically he is prolific poacher and criminal but his experience in capture of large dangerous animals means the "unknown peoples" hand-waved his criminal record because he was much too valuable to pass for the near-suicidal job of hunting SuperPersistentPredator genetically-modified dinosaurs.* Played with in the case of Simon Blackquill, the main prosecutor of ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies''. While he is in jail for most of the game, the skill he's valued for is his psychology manipulation technique, which has nothing to do with a criminal's skillset. [[spoiler: ''Turnabout For Tomorrow'' reveals that Simon was never a criminal in the first place, going to jail to protect Athena Cykes.]]* ''VideoGame/SakuraWars 3'': Ogami and co. recruit Lobelia Carlina, a female [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinetic]] who is described as the "greatest villain in Paris" and being single-handedly responsible for 80% of the city's criminal activity, into the Paris Assault Force.* In ''VideoGame/{{Battlecry}}'', the Imperial Marines team's Brawler character, Hagen, was facing charges of manslaughter (and a firing squad) until offered a chance to sign up instead.* In ''[[VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries Infiltrating the Airship]]'', the government hires Henry after hearing about his successes in breaking into a bank, escaping a prison, and stealing a diamond [[CallBack in the series' previous games]] to infiltrate the Toppat Clan's airship and capture their leader or find information that can be used to arrest the clan in exchange for Henry's criminal record being erased.* ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'': Most of the main party ([[TheHero Stahn]], Rutee, and Mary) are recruited criminals using the main quest to complete their community service sentence. To stop them from escaping, shock tiaras are placed on their foreheads and Leon Magnus goes with them as their handler.* In ''VideoGame/{{XCOM 2}}'', some of your recruits can be suspected or convicted criminals.* ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'': It is rumoured that the Archon of Justice sometimes recruits criminals to be Fatebinders for Kyros the Overlord under 'criminals are well-versed in finding criminals' logic, and given that exactly this is one possible background for your character the rumours seem true. This has some overlap with TradingBarsForStripes, though Fatebinders are more akin to [[ComicBook/JudgeDredd Judges]] than soldiers, and hold a great deal of power to the point that they sometimes can command entire armies.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomic]]* In ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'', the police chief tries to recruit Sam after Sam helped figure out where Florence was. He tells him that catching crooks is even more of a challenge than committing crimes, but Sam still declines.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* In ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', this has been played around with concerning [[TheCracker Tenshirock]]. When the hidden purpose behind his activities is accomplished in the webseries finale, someone suggests he gets himself employed in the company making the online game in which the story is set. He refuses for various reasons that include inherent spoilers. In ''NoobLeConseilDesTroisFactions'', TheWatson for his situation assumed that this trope happened after hearing part of his story before getting corrected. The teaser prologue for the TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture SpinOff hints this will eventually happen in some form, as Tenshirock's real name is dropped as one of the people behind certain features of the virtual reality port of the setting's online game.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]* In two episodes of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', the League faces off against KnightTemplar counterparts called the Justice Lords who are willing to kill. In need of a counter-tactic that the Lords don't also have and can't replicate, they recruit Lex Luthor.* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1 Twilights Kingdom Part 1]]'', Princess Celestia sends Discord to track down the magic-stealing Lord Tirek. This backfires badly once Tirek coaxes Discord into returning to his villainous roots.* Sgt Hatred on ''WesternaNimation/TheVentureBrothers'' went from being part of the [[NebulousEvilOrganization Guild of Calamitous Intent]] to being the brothers' bodyguard.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]* TruthInTelevision: Reformed thieves and conmen are invaluable to people designing security systems.** The police also sometimes hires them for training the recruits. This tends to only be the case with non-violent criminals however - thieves, pickpockets, burglars and frauds.** Plus many large corporations used to hire criminal hackers to try to break their systems and advise them on how to beef up security. This has been taken to its logical conclusion and these days so-called white-hat hackers hire themselves out to find vulnerabilities in computer security and never actually break the law or hack maliciously. * During WorldWarII the UsefulNotes/{{OSS}} obtained a number of skilled criminals from prisons to train its agents for specialty skills; most agencies maintain a number of state-sponsored safecrackers, pickpockets, etc. Of course when you think about it, those criminals recruited were the criminals that got ''caught'', but they presumably had to make do.** Similarly, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_units Auxiliary Units]] deliberately recruited known poachers on the basis that they'd had plenty of practice at sneaking around the countryside in the dark.* Averted by casinos (in the US, at least), which DO NOT hire convicted cheaters to catch cheaters.* Snitches are 'hired' by wardens and policemen to rat on their underground friends, whether for creature comforts or being left to their menial thievery.* According to one Creator/{{CNN}} documentary, convicted drug dealer Jimmy Keene was recruited by police to befriend convicted kidnapper Larry Hall and get him to admit to a string of serial killings that police had been unable to solve on their own, with Keene getting a reduced sentence out of the deal.** Rather famously, Creator/TimAllen was arrested in the 70's for drug transport and served some jail time. He got out early by naming his suppliers, and afterwards took that opportunity to avoid that business entirely.* Same as how medical shows hire doctors and military shows hire former service personnel, {{crime show}}s have been known to hire former criminals as consultants on an ongoing basis, to advise the actors and writers and make sure they get the details right.* The MMORPG ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' has often had problem with players using bots, and Jagex (the company that made the game) eventually made a major anti-bot update in November 2011. However, someone known as "Jacmob" was still able to make a bot that worked with the game. In response, Jagex offered him a job; he is now working on anti-cheat technology for the company.** Played somewhat straight with some sims in ''VideoGame/SecondLife''. There are a few sims that have been set up and they ''invite'' {{Griefer}}s to try and crash the sim. If someone manages to do it, they are asked how they did that. * [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Fran%C3%A7ois_Vidocq Eugène Vidocq]] who founded the Sûreté Nationale, and is regarded as the father of modern criminology.* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Abagnale Frank Abagnale Jr.]], the inspiration for the film ''Film/CatchMeIfYouCan'' mentioned above, is in fact a RealLife convicted forger and con man who was hired by the FBI after his arrest to advise them on fraud prevention. He also runs an independent firm as a financial security consultant.[[/folder]]----